Rhema word contains power and Logos word is only black letters in white paper

These claims are absolutely contrary to the scriptures. In the Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) and in the Greek New Testament Rhema and Logos are used interchangeably. They are used synonymously and there is no difference between Logos and Rhema at all.

The blab it and grab it word of faith preachers keep telling us that we are little gods. Let us look at the scriptures they use to justify their position.

John 10:34-36:

Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are gods’? If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came—and the Scripture cannot be broken—what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’?

Pslams 82:6

I said, “You are gods, And all of you are sons of the Most High.

Yes men are called as gods. Even Satan is called as the god of this age. Even the God said that He executed judgment against the gods of Egyptians.

For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike down all the first-born in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments — I am the Lord. (Exodus 12:12)

The Lord had also executed judgments on their gods. (Numbers 33:4)

Now I know that the Lord is greater than all the gods; indeed, it was proven when they dealt proudly against the people (Jethro’s testimony). (Exodus 18:11)

According to the above mentioned verses we can also call heathen idols as gods? What is wrong in calling pagan deities as gods as the scriptures cannot be broken here as well?

DESCRIPTION DOES NOT EQUAL TO PRESCRIPTION

Even if we assume that we could call ourselves as gods why can’t we call satan as god (2 Cor 4:4). That is also stated in the Bible and the scripture cannot be broken. We can also call pagan deities as gods as they are also mentioned as gods in the Bible and again scriptures cannot be broken.

We are also called as sons of God but there is a world of a difference between the ONLY begotten Son of God and us.

What is the motive behind the word of faith preachers telling us that we human beings are gods? Their point is, we human beings are little gods and therefore we have the same kind of creative power like the Almighty God. Our tongue is a creative force and we can speak things into existence by uttering positive confessions. That is where they are taking this little god teaching to.

Also Almighty God rested on the seventh day after unleashing His creating power for 6 days, however our blab it and grab it preachers confess with their mouth unceasingly without rest. As we all know many things they blab with their mouths do not come to pass. Kenneth Hagin blabbed with his mouth that he would live for 135 years but he could not grab it.

So the word of faith movement needs to answer the following questions:

1. What is the use of calling ourselves as little gods?

2. Are we going to miss some of God’s blessings if we don’t consider as little gods.

3. Can Christian women call themselves as little goddesses or is the little god title applies only to Christian men? Both Psalms 82 and John 10:34-36 are addressed to men!!!

4. Scriptures cannot be broken if we can be called as gods. So scriptures cannot be broken if we call Satan as god – right?

5. If is not wrong to call ourselves as gods because the scriptures cannot be broken then why can’t we call pagan deities as gods?

6. Is it a command for New Testament Christians to call or consider ourselves as gods?

7. Why did Apostle Paul never exhort Christians to call themselves as gods?

The word of faith preachers also quote Athanasius, Early Church Fathers and Charles Spurgeon for endorsing calling Christians as gods. Well, all of these claims are true but none of them exhorted Christians to utter positive confessions with their mouth to exercise their creative power as the word of faith preachers do.

This article is not about proving or disproving if Jesus was tormented in hell but the purpose is to highlight the fallacies in Tom Brown’s answer regarding what happened after the death of Jesus on the cross.

Tom Brown who is a popular word of faith preacher tries to defend that Jesus indeed went to hell and got tormented. However the reasons given by Tom Brown is grossly inadequate to prove that Jesus went and suffered in hell. Let us examine Tom Browns claims one by one and compare them with what the Bible has to say.

1. Jesus said “today” and not three days!

Tom Brown claims (I am paraphrasing his statements) that Jesus went to the Paradise section of the hades ONLY on that day of His death on the cross and after that Jesus went to the hell section of the hades and suffered for 12 hours.

Someone called William Carpenter has posed a question to Tom Brown citing Luke 23:43
” I have a question about Jesus’ descent into hell. In Luke 23:43, “And Jesus replied,’ Today you will be with me in Paradise. This is a solemn promise.” TLB

The question I am wondering about is how could He have defeated Satan in hell if He declared to the thief that they both would be in Paradise that day? I believe Jesus made an open display of Satan on the Cross, according to Col.1:14: “Who bought our freedom with His Blood and forgave us all our sins.”

Could you also explain to me how the Word of Faith teaching responds to Luke23:43? I’ll be waiting for your reply.

Sincerely, William Carpenter

Tom Brown answer is:

As far as the passage in Luke 23:43 Jesus did go to Paradise that day. I agree. Jesus, however, did not say that He would be there for all three days. That’s where you make a wrong assumption. Jesus said, “Today, you will be with me in Paradise.” Today does not mean three days; it simply means the current day.

Let us analyze Tom Brown’s response to William Carpenter. According to Tom Brown Jesus did not say that He would be in Paradise for all three days. That’s where you make a wrong assumption. Tom Brown here charges William Carpenter for making a wrong assumption for interpreting “today” as three days!

Well before making such an accusation Tom Brown needs to realize that he was the one who makes the wrong assumption and not William Carpenter. If Tom Brown’s “right” assumption that Jesus went to paradise before going to the hell section let him give an answer to Patriarch Abraham who answered differently to the suffering rich man.

Jesus tell us about the conversation between Abraham and the suffering rich man in Luke 16:24 through 26

Luke 16:24
“And he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.’

Luke 16:26
And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.’

Tom Brown needs to answer how Jesus was able to cross over to the other side while He was still spiritually dead? He needs to make his own assumption now that God the Father sent Jesus to Paradise first just to escort that thief and God made Jesus to cross over!

2. Three deaths for human beings:

Here I have to agree with Tom Brown that human beings who are not born again will experience 3 deaths. However I differ in defining the kinds of death that an unbeliever would experience.

* Spiritual death – Cessation of communication with God. When Adam and Eve sinned they died spiritually
* Physical death – This was not in God’s original plan for Adam and Eve to die. But because of sin their spirits and souls needed to depart from their bodies. This is the cessation of communication between the human body and the spirit/soul.
* Eternal death – Cessation of communication with God for ever. This is the eternal on-going destruction of the lost spirit and soul first in the place where that rich man went and later in the lake of fire after the great White throne judgment.

However according to Tom Brown the 3 death’s were physical, spiritual and soulish. I don’t why Tom Brown has not explained about the eternal death! It is true that the soul experiences the torment in hell but so does the spirit. According to Hebrews 4:12 the soul is compared to the bone and the spirit is compared to the marrow. In other words in the human personality the soul surrounds the spirit. The human spirit is also known as the “heart”, inner man and inward man.

3. Death in Hebrew is in plural.

Tom Brown is again correct in pointing out that the word death is mentioned in plural in Isaiah 53 in Hebrew. Tom Brown even gives some pictorial evidence to that in his website. The following 2 pictures are from one of Tom Brown’s own Bible as he brags in his website. He points out that death in Hebrew is mention in plural with scanned copies from one of his own Bibles!

Does the plural form of death necessarily indicate more than one death?

“B’motav” means “in his deaths” and “b’moto” means “in his death”. But does this indicate plurality? NO! If it were “b’moteihem/b’motam”, then he would have a point beyond any doubt, since this would mean “in their deaths/in their death”, which is indisputably plural. But this word in Isaiah 53:9 does not support anything he goes on to say. But the plural expression of that word is indeed used elsewhere in scripture. Let’s look at Ezekiel 28:

(8)They shall bring thee down to the pit; and thou shalt die the deaths of them that are slain, in the heart of the seas….

***

(10)Thou shalt die the deaths of the uncircumcised by the hand of strangers; for I have spoken, saith the Lord YHWH.’

These are examples of a single person being addressed and threatened to die deaths (plural). Now it is often said that these are instances that the word “deaths” refer to the plural “uncircumcised”. Well, that doesn’t excuse the plural use either, because the Old Testament shows us that the singular is used in reference to a multitude [e.g. Numbers 23:10; Let me die the death (singular; moth) of the righteous (plural; y’sharim)]. And also verse 8 is a striking example of the plural being applied to a singular person. It speaks of “m’motei chalal b’lev yamim” which translates “in the deaths of one slain in the in the heart of the seas”. The plural (chalalim) is not used here (e.g. Isaiah 66:16, Daniel 11:26). So the plural for of deaths does not necessarily indicate that Jesus experienced multiple deaths.

4. Tom Brown on Acts 2:27

Tom Brown explains Acts 2:27 like this:

Peter, in his first sermon, mentions the suffering of Christ’ soul in hell:

Jesus’ soul was in hell, but not left there. Praise God. Why did Jesus go to hell for us? He went there because the punishment of sin is for the soul to be cast into hell. Since Christ suffered the penalties and punishment for our sins, it stands to reason that He would have to suffer in hell, and He did!”

Well here we should notice that the KJV has incorrectly translated hades as hell. Also why would Tom Brown say that the punishment of sin is for the soul to be case into hell instead of the lake of fire after the great White throne judgment. Jesus went to the paradise section of the hades. Acts 2:27 did not say that the soul of Jesus was tormented in “hell”. It says “Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell”. Even that place where the Old Testament saints were confined was a place in the nether world without hope. Only the Messiah, the Son of God would bring them redemption. So the soul of Jesus was not left behind in the hades because He Himself was the redeemer.

Tom Brown may say why would the verse say thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, does it not indicate that Jesus was expecting God the Father to rescue Him from the torments of hell? Well we can also argue like this: If Jesus was not suffering in hell He was definitely in the paradise section of the hades. That place is again a place of captivity. The Old Testament saints did not have the freedom to cross over to the other side and their freedom of movement was limited. So alternatively we can say that God the Father did not leave Jesus in the place of captivity and Jesus still needed to get out of that place. Leaving Jesus in the place where Abraham and Lazarus were present would have stilled messed up God’s plan of redemption. If Jesus was left behind in paradise He would not have resurrected and the Old Testament saint would have been in captivity together Jesus!!!John 10:17 and 18

“For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again.

“No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.”

John 10:18 clearly proves that Jesus Himself had the authority to take His life back. Therefore after suffering 12 hours in hell how Jesus had the ability to take His own life back.5. Tom Brown uses The Apostle’s Creed to justify his position.

Tom Brown writes:

The Apostle’s Creed. A portion of the creed affirms Jesus descent into hell, the very thing that Hanegraaff disbelieves. It says:

“I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty…” (Emphasis added)

It’s clear that the early church believed that Jesus descended into hell. Were they heretics? The fact is, during their time if anyone refused to believe in the entire creed they were disfellowshipped…”

Steven Gertz is editorial coordinator for Christian History gives a vivid answer about this. According to Steven Gertz

“The oldest extant version comes from Bishop Marcellus of Ancyra (ca. A.D. 337), and it does not contain the clause about descending into hell. Scholars call this version “The Old Roman Form”—the earliest creed of the Roman church.

Apparently the clause first appeared in the East with Sirmium’s fourth formula in 359—also called the “Dated Creed”— though the Eastern church rejected it as tinged with Arianism. The first mention of the descent in the West occurs in the writings of Rufinus of Aquileia, who included it in his baptismal creed around 400. Over time, the Latin church appropriated it as well, officially integrating it into the Creed in 750″.

The United Methodists commonly incorporate the Apostles’ Creed into their worship services. The version which is most often used is located at #881 in the United Methodist Hymnal, one of their most popular hymnals and one with a heritage to John Wesley, founder of Methodism . It is notable for omitting the line “he descended into hell”, but is otherwise very similar to the Book of Common Prayer version.

So, yet another blow to Tom Brown’s claims. Tom Brown also makes a strange claim that Because of efforts like Hank Hanegraaff some churches have removed this part of the Apostle’s Creed from their statement or they rephrase the creed to say, “He descended into the Grave.”

Tom Brown does not give details about which churches have changed the Apostle’c Creed as persuaded by Hank Hanegraaff.6. Tom Brown fails to answer other important questions:

a. Did Jesus cease to be a member of the Trinity when He suffered in hell?

b. Did Jesus cease to be God when He was tormented in hell?

Conclusion:

My point is not to prove whether Jesus indeed went to the place of torment and suffered for us or did He ONLY go to the place where Lazarus went. My article is to point out the fallacies in Tom Brown’s article.

What happened in the cross? What happened when the darkness surrounded the entire earth? Was Jesus separated from God the Father? Was the Holy Spirit who was residing in Jesus beyond measure was taken away? Did Jesus cease to be a member of the Holy Trinity? With Jesus and the disciples not physically being around we cannot come to a clear conclusion.

Deuteronomy 29:29 gives us the answer:

“The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law.

We don’t know the answers to all these questions until we get into eternity. Believing in Jesus is the only condition for Justification and to obtain eternal life. An unsaved person obviously need not believe that Jesus went to hell to suffer for him/her in order to obtain eternal life. That is good news.Finally, according to Tom Brown the belief that Jesus suffered in hell is necessary to understand the full redemptive work of Jesus.

My question to Tom Brown:

In what way you are different than other men of God who preached the Gospel powerfully in Church history who did not hold this view about Jesus’ death? In what way believing that Jesus was tormented in hell makes the Word of Faith believers better than other Christians Tom? Do the WoFers get more blessings for believing this particular doctrine?Related links:Hear it from the horse’s mouth: Tom Brown’s answer to William Carpenter

Jesus warned “” Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruit…” (Matt.7:15-16).

Apostle Paul also warned:

“I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember, I have never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears” (Acts 20:29-31).

Before we analyze how to identify a wolf let us make certain facts straight about the wolves that Jesus and Paul are trying to warn us.

1. Obviously Jesus and Paul are not referring to wolves in the animal kingdom but they are comparing human beings who exhibit the characteristics of a wolf. Likewise sheep here means the members of the body of Christ.

2. Common sense teaches us that an ordinary believer is not referred to as a wolf in these verses. These wolves are “Christians” who preach from the Bible and who are usually in the leadership position.

3. It is also vivid that a ferocious wolf mentioned would kill the flock spiritually even though the sheep could die physically before their appointed time because of the abuses they go through from these wolves.

Characteristics of a wolf and how they apply to the spiritual wolves today:

1. Wolf looks for prey.

They search for prey in packs lead by an alpha male wolf. We all know these mammon loving prosperity gospel preachers have taken over the airwaves like packs. They operate like a gang. The WoF wolves always mention their alpha preachers to frequently. They quote them frequently and even brag about their associations with them. Usually the authority of the Bible is superseded by what the alpha wolves teach. These wolves are masters in proof texting. They desperately seek supporters and a broader audience. They do not hesitate to engage in un-biblical fund raising methods to expand their own kingdoms.

2. Wolf snatches a sheep

Usually a sheep is snatched when they are feeding on the grass with other sheep. Here the sheep are snatched from the mainstream orthodox Christianity. When a sheep is snatched by a wolf we all know they cannot free themselves. They go into spiritual bondage and once they are snatched they are at the mercy of the prosperity preachers. They need some external help. They are deceived basically and a spiritual force of darkness grabs them. They need to be set free by a real shepherd. I am not trying to say whoever believes in the WoF teaching is demon possessed. No, not at all. However they are obviously influenced by the seducing spirits operating through the word of faith minsters. The process of snatching is forceful and it is never a gentle process. The prosperity gospel message appears to be authentic and innocent Christians are forcefully plucked out of the mainstream. They do not have an opportunity to analyze the prosperity message with intellectual honesty and proper Biblical exegesis and henumatics. The victims are indoctrinated and brainwashed about how to think instead of leaving them to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

I John 2:27

“As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him”.

3. Wolf kills a sheep

Killing is an act of severing the relationship with the rest of the world. Cessation of communication with the rest of the world is death. People affected by the prosperity Gospel considers themselves isolated from the rest of the Christian world. They cannot have regular communication with them. “Only we have the full light of the truth” and only our leaders preach the full gospel kind of an attitude isolate them from the orthodox Christianity. The sheep is conditioned to hear from the alpha wolves and their followers and not from God. Sheep is affected by on going indoctrination of the WoF teachings which covers the hearer as a dark cloud and isolating from hearing from the Holy Spirit. False teachings that are used to excommunicates the sheep from the mainstream include but not limited to Misuse and abuse of Romans 10:9 and 10, Atonement happened in hell, Jesus became literal sin, went to hell and tormented by demons, Jesus was rich (Was He not the richest carpenter in Nazareth and did He not have various branch offices all across Israel?, He had richest disciples too who even supplied fish to the Chief priest and Jesus had connections in Herod’s palace as well!). Genuine Spiritual experiences like the miracle of regeneration, assurance of salvation, joy of being forgiven of the past sins, peace with God, love of the word, conviction about sin, judgment and hell, repentance that frees us from dead works are dismissed as feeling based experiences but extra-Biblical revelations which are the real feeling based experiences which are thought by the alpha wolves are considered legitimate experiences. The sheep is discouraged to have a life changing encounter with Jesus which results in the supernatural new birth with a definite change in the life but encouraged in participate in feeling based emotionally stirring activities.

There are 2 important ways that the sheep is killed. One is gradual process. These wolves need to have some sheep alive to supply their needs. The other one is instant process. Once the sheep is deemed uselss to their ministry they are disqualified which is the equivalent of physical killing.

4. Wolf eats a sheep.

This is the most exiting part in the entire process. A wolf being a carnivore always considers a sheep, a herbivore as a food source. In order to survive and live a wolf needs prey. Therefore they constantly eat killed sheep. They consider sheeps to be resources (food sources) to live a luxurious life. A freshly killed sheep brings immense joy to the wolves and the freshly killed sheep is also shared with their fellow wolves and when a sheep is freshly killed all wolves rejoice like this “Ha ha ha, a millionaire got saved, this member has a political connection, he has his own jet plane etc.,)

5. Wolf has no intention to feed the sheep.

Since a wolf always considers sheep as a resource they do not feed them. How can a herbivore be fed by a carnivore? Spiritual food comes from the Holy Spirit quickening a particular scripture and makes it available to our human spirits. We cannot be spiritually fed by listening to WoF tapes or reading their books. Since WoF preachers substitute positive confessions to force the Sovereign God to release miracles the victims do not take time to listen to the Holy Spirit. Many Christians are deceived by the false teachings of Rhema and consider unleavened teachings as their spiritual food but they don’t realize that all these teachings are designed to get their seed offerings to keep the wolves alive. For example how many of you have ever heard a prosperity preacher teaching about humility, cross carrying, discipleship, crucifying self, justification and other Biblical themes. Indoctrination is not feeding!

These topics are indeed mentioned by prosperity preachers only incidental remarks and not as a subject matter. The prosperity preachers feed into the sheep’s ego.

6. Wolf has no intention to protect the sheep.

When tragedy strike the sheep oftentimes these wolves are unavailable to their flock. They sheep is told that their minister had to meet an alpha wolf in a particular place or attend a WoF or they are too busy in talking to a congressman, senator or other government officials. They even resent if a member of their congregation desperately needs them while they are on luxurious vacation trips. Even if they happen to establish contact the wolves they are told to utter certain positive confessions, accused of lacking in faith, yielding to fear, believing mind instead of believing in heart, worrying about lying symptoms and so on.

7. Sheep are scattered once they spot a wolf in action.

Once someone is exposed and identified as a wolf the sheep is scattered and lose interest in things after God. Some of them even detest Christianity. Steve Lambert explains this vividly in his amazing book “Charismatic Captivation”.

8. Wolf does not treat a sheep gently.

We all have different levels of faith. New converts have are not matured to know certain Spiritual truths and they need milk. However the prosperity preachers make condemning statements like “Oh you don’t have faith and that was the reason you are not healed”, come and confess openly in the platform that you are healed by the stripes of Jesus even you are still sick, if you hesitate to confess that you are still sick then you are walking by feelings etc., So innocents believers especially new converts are so confused by their arrogant way of commanding them. These wolves often have a pushy personality which helps them to force their victims to utter un-biblical positive confessions which do not touch the reality. Bible talks a lot about the power of proclamations and Jesus is called as the Chief priest of our confession. (Heb 3:1). In stead of teaching the flock to utter positive confessions in the right way they apply force and their deceived followers are forced to think God as a heavenly wending machine.

9. Wolf considers itself as a different class (elitism) from the sheep.

A carnivore cannot hangout with a herbivore. Wolves led by their alpha wolves considers themselves above their flock. Only they can pray, preach and prophecy. Purveyors of truth. Only Rhema trained ministers can rule the Church and make all decisions. Only the super rich and major financiers to the preachers enterprise can get a glimpse of their inner circle. One of the Church fathers’ Justin Martyr says that in the early Church pastors (in plural) used to be friends of the poor and they used to be the bridges between the wealthy Christians and the poor Christians.

10. Sheep cannot have fellowship with a wolf (communication).

Watchman Nee in his “The Release of the Spirit” book clearly illustrates this. The victims know inwardly that something mysterious is repelling them from their leaders. One creed and confession says they believe in the communion of saints but in Rhema circles people realize that they cannot have communion with the spirits of their minsters.

I John 1:7 “but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin”.

11. Sheep affected by wolves need special care.

Again I strongly recommend Steve Lambert’s book “Charismatic Captivation”. Sheep who are set free from the Rhema captivation are affected in various degrees. Some of them are severely abused and disappointed. They need special prayers by committed intercessory prayer warriors.

How does a wolf wear sheep’s clothing?

These wolves appears to feed the sheep by preaching the from the word of God and wish them well. They present themselves as the “full Gospel” preachers. They still need to “feed” the sheep because they need on-going support from them. Only when the sheep is perceived to be useless it will be killed (disqualified). So in order to continuously “feed” the sheep and get new victims they need to wear clothes.

Some of the clothes:

a. The cloth that is called as the right doctrine appearing as part of the Orthodox Christianity.

b. Parading their achievements like supporting an orphanage in a 3rd world country or helping a poor community. (Jesus said let your left hand not know what your right hand do and not to parade ourselves)

c. Use of humor

d. Appear to be interested in the well being of the followers. Wealth wishers disguised as well wishers.

e. Bragging about their connections with top government officials, politicians and other celebrities (just to impress people that their message is authentic)

f. Twisting their tongues with different accents (imitate the alpha wolves).

g. Use of Apologetic/defending faith.

h. Doing acts of kindness in front of others but their out bursts of anger is well known among their close followers.

Even though this articles primarily focuses on the word of faith side, it does not mean other organizations or denominations do not have wolves among them.

A wolf can even be in a missionary organization or a in a charitable organization.

Don’t use the touch not the anointed concept to live in a state of denial. We are all God anointed and priests. Jesus commended a revelation church for spotting false apostle (Revelation 2:6). Also it does not mean some one prophesised and the prophecy did not come to pass. NO. Let us be on guard and warn others about the wolves. We are accountable to God.

“I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember, I have never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears” (Acts 20:29-31).

Years ago the Lord prophetically warned me of a wolf who was about to enter my life and ministry.

” Denny, if you join with this man, he will rob you of your congregation for his heart and his mind are not joined with yours. He is a deceptive man, and he will cleverly deceive the congregation to undermine you and your ministry, twisting and distorting even the most innocent words and actions to make you appear as the evil one rather than himself. He is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”The Bible uses a wolf to symbolize a false minister or teacher. He is someone greedy for personal gain, who can never have enough, who only looks after himself, who scatters the flock, leads sheep astray, preys upon the flock instead of feeding the flock, a hireling (working primarily for the $$$) not a true shepherd.

He misleads people by drawing them to himself instead of drawing them to the heart and rule of God-his outward appearance concealing his inward motives. A wolf will talk, teach, preach, sing, or act just like a real sheep but his desire or motivation is entirely different.

A wolf thinks only of himself-selfish and destructive. A true shepherd always puts the sheep first-not last-he lays his life down for the sheep.A wolf is someone who has not submitted his life to the Lordship of Jesus. He has sought God for the wrong reasons. He serves God for what he can get from Him rather than for who He is. He is an impostor, easily mistaken for a true shepherd until his motives are revealed by his actions.

A wolf takes control no matter what it takes- trickery, deceit, manipulation, false doctrine, intimidation, clandestine meetings, power plays, secrecy, planting seeds of distrust, discord, disloyalty, or even spiritual witchcraft-he will use any means available. It is very difficult to identify a wolf by his outward appearance-by what he says or how he looks-a wolf often looks and sounds like a sheep. Instead, you identify a wolf by what he does or does not do, by his actions.

” Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruit…” (Matt.7:15-16).

Fruit speaks of life-style, character, teaching, and influence-his personal history-the mark he leaves on people’s lives. In addition, a wolf will often lie, steal, gossip, slander, break covenant, be disloyal, violate friendships or trusts, betray or dishonor others, violate confidentialities, ignore biblical guidelines for proper communication between disagreeing Christians, lust, love money, be a poor steward of money, be dishonest, be selfish, be self-important and proud, claim a false ministry or gift, claim an authority in God he doesn’t possess, self-promote, be worldly, be carnal, be greedy, show outbursts of anger and rage, have a controlling spirit, have no fruit of the Spirit, and most importantly do nothing out of a pure agape love as his motivation-a wolf only knows how to display cold love because by nature he is a predator.

According to the Bible-the dog, fox, bear, and wolf all have negative connotations.

TEXT: ” Behold, I send you out as sheep among wolves. Therefore, be wise as serpents…” ( Matt.10.16 ). (We should be wise concerning wolves.)

TEXT: ” After my departure savage (grievous) wolves (notice the nature or characteristic of this type of wolf-savage, grievous) …will come in among you, not sparing the flock (notice where the wolves are located-among you-among us…
(notice their recklessness and the danger they pose to the sheep- “not sparing the sheep” ) From among yourselves men (notice the wolves are men-probably leaders) will rise up speaking ( a wolf has an unusually big mouth, jaws, teeth) perverse (misleading) things to draw away disciples after themselves (a wolf always has a personal (not a godly) agenda). Therefore watch and remember I did not cease to warn you (notice this apostolic warning is to Christians) night and day for three years (notice the seriousness of this warning) (Acts 20:29-31).

TEXT: ” Beware of false messengers who come to you in sheep’s clothing (notice their outward appearance-they look like sheep) but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. (notice their inward motivation-meat eaters) You will know them by their fruit.” (Matt.7:15-16). Jesus said their inward motivation will eventually be seen in their actions.

In Review: What Is A Wolf?

According to the Bible there’s nothing good about a wolf-nothing. A wolf is a cunning, hostile, marauding animal-intelligent, clever, calculating, an opportunist in the animal kingdom-the arch enemy of sheep. Jesus used a wolf (Gk.lukos- weighty one) metaphorically to describe a false prophet, minister, or teacher-a cruel, greedy, destructive person (usually a person in a leadership position)-someone who would oppress and ruin the church.

The Bible warns us a wolf often looks and sounds just like the other sheep, (sharing similar outward characteristics only ) spends most of his time around the sheep, (not for fellowship but to size up his prey) but will freely sacrifice the sheep should trouble arise. Compare this to a true shepherd who will oppose a wolf at the risk and at the cost of his own life.

Most alarmingly of all, a wolf is a carnivore-he loves freshly killed sheep! A sheep is an herbivore-carnivores and herbivores do not hang out together. Make no mistake about it-a wolf feeds on sheep-he sees them only as a resource for his selfish purposes-a food source!

A wolf is someone greedy for personal gain, who can never have enough. He is a hireling (working primarily for the $$$) not a true shepherd (Jn.10:11-13). His only interest is personal advancement at the expense of others.

A wolf is ruthless and loveless- a ” taker.” He openly violates God’s principles of agape love in I Cor.13. Most wolves don’t know how to love-they’re just hunters-living for the kill.

A wolf scatters the flock-he’s not a true leader. His ministry is often characterized by the number of dead sheep left scattered around him. Any contact with a wolf will lead to destruction and eventual death for the sheep. A wolf only gathers sheep to use them or kill (disqualify) the them. (Jn.10.12)

A wolf leads sheep astray-twisting and distorting the truth. A wolf is often weak theologically, even heretical, and cares little for the orthodoxy of Scripture. His goal is not healthy, well fed (theologically balanced) sheep-but gullible, vulnerable, dependent sheep-mindless, spineless followers. A wolf preys upon the flock instead of feeding the flock-again, a predator!

A wolf misleads people by drawing them to his own personality instead of drawing them to the heart and rule of God-his outward appearance concealing his inward motives. He will talk, teach, preach, sing, or act just like a sheep but his desire or motivation is entirely different. A wolf possesses a self-important spirit-often boasting of a false gift or ministry.

A wolf looks for quick results that require little sacrifice-impatient, impulsive, immature, premature in all they do-he’s an aggressive animal-a pushy personality, often displaying erratic behavior.

A wolf thinks only of himself-usually an acutely selfish and self-destructive personality. Self-preservation is the prime motivation of a wolf. A wolf is often a betrayer and knows little of relational loyalty.

A wolf is an untrustworthy person-never turn your back on one-never trust a wolf. Jim Jones was a wolf-if a wolf offers you a glass of cool aid-don’t accept it!

If a wolf offers you a glass of cool aid-don’t accept it!

A wolf is someone who has not submitted his life to the Lordship of Jesus. A wolf is usually an unbroken vessel-lacking genuine authority in God. He will impugn the character of others while totally ignoring his own sins.

A wolf seeks God for the wrong reasons-for what he can get from Him rather than for who He is-a self-promoter, opportunist, a user.

A wolf is an impostor, easily mistaken for a true shepherd until his motives are revealed by his actions, his fruit. (life-style, character, teaching, influence) Never listen to what a wolf says-listen to what he does-look at his track record.

A wolf takes control no matter what it takes- trickery, deceit, manipulation, intimidation, false doctrine, clandestine meetings, power plays, secrecy, planting seeds of distrust, discord, disloyalty, or spiritual witchcraft-he will use any means available. A wolf thinks nothing of illegal, unethical, or unscriptural behavior. To a wolf, the end always justifies the means. Left to his own devices a wolf will ultimately destroy any church he leads.

How to identify a man by his fruit? – Insightful article by Jeremy Myers

For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully.

ANOTHER Jesus? Who is He?

Let us take a look at the Jesus who is preached by the Prosperity preachers!

The Jesus who was very rich when He was in the earth because He had to have a treasurer, supported Himself, 12 disciple and 70 others. The Jesus who got huge donations from rich women. He even wore linen clothes which is the mark of being rich in those days.

The Jesus who had rich disciples: John the beloved disciple supplied sea food to the Chief Priest’s house, Matthew who had a lot of money because he was a tax collector.

The Jesus who owned a big house which was big enough to have company stay the night in.

The Jesus who had connections with influential people like Nicodemus and the rich Joseph of Arimathea.

The Jesus who rebuked sick people for lacking in faith.

The Jesus who justifies sinners and gives them eternal life once they believe in Him but still keeps them “unsaved” until they go through the Romans road.

The Jesus who never asked to pray to God to cast out demons.

The Jesus who always cast out demons with the very first command of His mouth.

The Jesus who did an unfinished work at the cross.

The Jesus who went to hell and tormented by demons.

The Jesus who is NOT the ONLY begotten Son of God because we are sons of God too.

The Jesus who made human beings little “gods”.

The Jesus who got dismembered from the Divine Trinity by His Spiritual death.

The Jesus who asked the rich young man to sell all his possessions and to sow it as a seed offering into his ministry.

The Jesus who discouraged peristent prayers and asked to pray only once because that would reflect the lack of faith.

Hmmm…. This is the Jesus who is preached by our modern day prosperity preachers.

Is this the Jesus that you and I know?

Is this the Jesus who was known by early Christians, Church fathers, Martin Luther, John Huss, William Tyndale, John Wycliffe, John Calvin, John Wesley, Charles Spurgeon, D.L. Moody, George Whitefield, Jonathan Edwards, Watchman Nee and countless other Christians who were jailed, tortured and killed?

NO this Jesus is that ANOTHER Jesus mentioned in 2nd Corinthians 11:4

ANOTHER Jesus, different Gospel and a different spirit – BEWARE Christians

Those who are familiar with the word of faith movement and especially those who are/were in the WoF have heard/read one or many of the following from various Word of Faith teachers. Because various Word of Faith teachers have different styles of presentation and use many variants of the same subject, their teachings about Divine Healing can be paraphrased like:

A. Lack of Faith Accusations:

1. You are sick because you do NOT have faith (this is very popular and often used in WoF circles)

2. You are sick because you do of NOT having ENOUGH faith (or you have insufficient faith) (this is a variant of the first point)

3 “Accept Jesus as your Lord and HEALER” in order to get healed! (This sounds like anyone can get healed ON DEMAND)

4. You are sick because you have not accepted Jesus as your Lord and HEALER”; people accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior and get saved, likewise why don’t you accept Jesus as your Lord and HEALER and get healed? It is your fault for not accepting Jesus as your healer.

6. You must have faith in your heart and not in your mind (or brain, intellect).

B. Following Your Feelings Accusations:

7. Don’t wait for manifestations and come and give your testimony even if you don’t feel anything.

8. Healing is not by feeling, healing is by facts, the written word says you have been healed by His stripes. Tell me whose report you believe. We have to believe in the report of the Lord and not what your body says.

9. Follow the Word way but not the “world way”. “Word way” is confessing that your are healed even when your body does not say so. However the “world way” is, you need to experience something in your body and then testify.

10. Follow the “revelation knowledge” and not the “sense knowledge”. Revelation knowledge is God’s will has been revealed in His word that you must be healed and it says in past perfect tense that you HAVE BEEN healed. That is revelation knowledge. When you feel sickness in your body that is only a symptom. Don’t give life to the symptoms by uttering a negative confession.

10. Walk by faith and not by sight. Have faith in God’s healing promises from His word. Don’t believe what you see in your body.

11. Walk by faith and not by feeling. Have faith in God’s healing promises from His word. Don’t believe in what your body feels. Feelings will change, you have little pain sometimes and more pain some other times but the fact of the matter that you have been healed by His stripes.

12. Do you believe in the written word or your symptoms in the body?

13. Faith is greater than your feelings. Therefore don’t wait for manifestations but walk by faith!

14. Don’t change the triple-F order. When you expect manifestations, electric shock sort of things and heat in the body you become a feeling follower. Faith 1st, Fact Next, Feelings Last, you should not change this order and this is very important for the Christian life. Therefore put your faith in the word of God and that is the fact, that fact was established 2000 years at Calvary: by His stripes we are healed, so believe it and boldly confess your mouth that you have been healed. They you maintain the Triple-F sequence in the correct order. But if you expect to feel something in your body like manifestation, heat passing through, electricity passing through or shaking then you put your feelings first, then put faith in your feelings and establish it as a fact, wrong wrong wrong. Then you establish the new order like Feelings 1st, Faith next and Fact next.

15. Pray for healing ONLY ONCE because the prayer of faith is prayed only once. Then walk by faith and confess with your mouth that you have been healed. If you pray again for healing you negate your prayer that you have prayed first.

16. Truth is objective and NOT subjective. Therefore do not establish the truth by subjective experiences like outward manifestaions, heat, fire or electicity flowing thorough your body.

17. We must not preach our experience but what the word says!

18. The word is the evidence that the Lord has healed you and not your feelings.

I am not against Divine Healing and I strongly believe that Jesus heals sick people today but cutting-loose accusations like the above mentioned, against sick people is nothing but applying guilt, fear and condemnation against them. This is what is called as “bull in a China shop” behavior and spewing out charges like this will not help people. Many people have been hurt and turned off by the excesses of the Word of Faith preachers. An average sick person who seeks Divine healing does not expect these barrage of accusation from the mouth of a faith healer. When WoF preachers launch the salvo of accusations like mentioned above, people are offended and return home with guilt, shame and fear.

Christians beware!!! Jesus Loves You! Nothing wrong in coming to Jesus with expectations and Faith but do not condemn yourselves if you are not healed.

When you receive divine healing, it comes with a corresponding acknowledgement by the Holy Spirit either an outward manifestation, heat passing through the body, a supernatural fire going though your body or something subjective. If you experience any of these, it is time to ACT. Confess with your mouth and give thanks to the Lord for healing you. However if you “step out” in faith when you have not experienced anything you have fallen victim to a spirtless logic and you are deceiving yourself and bringing dishonor to the name of the Lord!